Letters Home from a Yankee Doughboy 1916-1919

I surely did feel bad when I did not get the opportunity to write to you for a few days the reason was account of military movements. Uncle Sam’s doing every thing possible to make it pleasant for us boys. Since I wrote you last I received ten letters about five from you and one from Anna. We also got paid which came in just about in time. I received 246 francs which is about $49 in our money. This included my pay for the month and liberty money. Is pa receiving the alottment regularly? Now about the fourth of July we had a wonderful time. The Corporals of our platoon had a luncheon for lunch we had a chicken and chicken soup, lettuce salid with eggs, dressing and ten bottles of campaign. All this cost us about seventeen francs a piece. A meal like this dear sister is very scarce as the people here are also feeding on rations. Bread is a scarcity but beer, wine and champagn is sold to the boys in large quantities. The chicken we had for lunch was to old for roast so the madam had to make soup out of it, just like the good old chicken soup we had for our sunday meals years ago. Our daily rations are getting better each day. My french is improving each day. So far I have learned to ask for bread, wine, beer, champaign, eggs, milk, tobacco, candy, chocolate, coffee and many other things in french tongue.

I guess I have said all I know today am going to write Anna tonight, I am.